Well pumping apparatus



y 1934- A. R. MAlER 1,958,518

WELL PUMPING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 31, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR- August R Ma/er BY 7 a ATTORNEYS May 15, 1934. A. R. MAIER WELL PUMPING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 31, 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a Ev Mn INVENTOR- August R. Ma/er BY A'ITORNEY5 Patented May 15, 1934 PATENT OFFICE WELL PUQMPWG APPARATUS August R. Maier, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Oil Well Supply Company, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of New Jersey Application January 31, 1933, Serial No. 654,542

8 Claims.

After an oil well has been drilled, if it ceases to flow, it is necessary to pump the oil from the well. For this purpose a pump is located in the oil bearing sand at or near the bottom of the well and is operated from the surface by means of rods connected end to end and known as sucker rods, the oil being delivered through tubing within which the sucker rods extend. To operate the pump, reciprocating motion is imparted to the to upper end of the string of sucker rods and is transmitted through them to the pump at the lower end of the well. The rods, tubing and other parts of a pumping apparatus must'be periodically pulled out and removed from the well The present invention relates to a mechanism to transmit a suitable reciprocating motion to the pumping elements during the pumping of the well and to enable these elements to be disconnected easily and quickly, and a hoisting mechanism to be connected when pumping is to be discontinued, andthe sucker rods or other pumping elements are to be pulled from or lowered into the well. I

An object of the invention is to provide apparatus of the above type in which the reciprocating pumping elements and the hoist can be operated separately and independently of each other.

Other objects of the, invention are to provide an apparatus of the above type in which the vari- I ous units are operated collectively, or separately,

from a single operating station or position, in which the operating units are arranged in tandem formation, and in which the various elements of the mechanism are easily assembled and maintained.

The various features of the invention are shown in the acompanying drawings, in which- Fig. l is a side elevation of apparatus embodying a preferred form of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan View of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. v

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view, partly in section, of hoist operating transmission elements of the apparatus; v

Fig. i is a vertical section of a part of the apparatus taken on the line l-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a vertical elevation of a connecting spider or member.

in my present invention, power is transmitted from a suitable prime mover through a clutchv and belt, or other transmission, to apulley and sprocket wheel which are rotatably mounted on the high speed shaft of a speed reduction gearing. The pulley may be arranged to rotate freely on the high speed shaft of the transmission mechanism, or may be connected rigidly to this shaft to rotate the latter through suitable connections. When the .pulley rotates freely on the shaft, it may be connected by means of sprockets, or other suitable connections, to a hoisting drum to rotate the latter to lift fromor lower the pumping elements into the well. When the apparatus is to be used for pumping, the sprocket connections are disconnected and the pulley is keyed to the high speed shaft and serves to drive the speed reduction mechanism and, through the lat- (0 ter, the reciprocating elements of the pumping mechanism.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, power for operating the various elements of the mechanism is supplied from a prime mover 10 through 15 a shaft 11 and clutch 12 to a pulley 13 rotatably mounted on the shaft 11. The clutch 12 may be of any suitable or usual type and serves merely to clutch the pulley13 rigidly to the shaft 11, or to disconnect it therefrom. 7 30 Power is transmitted from the pulley 13 through a belt 14 to a driven pulley 15, the belt being maintained tight by an idler pulley 16. The pulley 15, which is shown in detail in Figs. 3 and I 4:, is mounted on an extension 17 of the hub of a 5 sprocket wheel. 18 and is keyed to the extension 17 by means of a key 19 so that the pulley l5 and sprocket 18 rotate as a unit. The sprocket 18,

.and with it the pulley 15, are rotatably mounted on the projecting part of a high speed shaft 20 of a speed reduction mechanism 21, suitable antifriction or roller bearings 22 and 23 being inserted between a bearing sleeve 24 on the shaft 20 and the hub and extension of the sprocket wheel 18.

When the apparatus is to be used for hoisting pumping elements from or lowering them into the well, the pulley l5 and sprocket l8 rotate on the projecting end of the shaft 20 and power is transmitted from the sprocket wheel through a 300) chain 240; to a larger sprocket wheel 25 or a smaller sprocket 26 rotatably mounted on the shaft of a drum 27 to which the sprockets may be clutched by means of a clutch 28.

When the apparatus is to be used for reciproeating the pumping mechanism the sprocket wheel 25 or 26 is disconnected from the sprocket wheel 18 by removing the connecting chain. The pulley 15 is then bolted to a connecting spider 29 by means of bolts 30. The spider 29 is permanently and slidably keyed on the high speed shaft by means of keys 31 so that when it is bolted to the pulley 15 the latter is keyed through the spider to the shaft 20. Power from the prime mover is thereupon transmitted to the high speed shaft 20 and, through the latter, rotates a low speed shaft 32 on the projecting end of which is mounted a crank 33. Thecrank 33 is in turn connected through a pitman 34 to one end of the shaft 20 a slight distance away from contact with the pulley 15 by rotating capscrews 39 passing through a cap 40 on the end of the shaft 20 and threaded into the hub 41 of the spider 29, thereby permitting the pulley 15 and sprocket 18 to rotate freely on the shaft 20.

The friction bearings 22 and 23 are supplied with lubricant from an oil chamber 42 within the extension 17 supplied from an oil cap 43, and escape of lubricant is prevented by oil seal rings 44 and 45. The bearings 22 and 23 may be tightened by means of a tightening ring 46 threaded on the sleeve 24 and bearing against the inner ring of the bearing 23. The adjusting ring 45 may be maintained in adjusted position by means of a holding screw 47 mounted in the hub 41 and entering a recess in the ring 46.

The vanous clutches and power mechanism for operating the hoist mechanism or the pumping mechanism are controlled from a single operating station, preferably near one end of the hoisting drum 27 and near the well. The clutch 12, through which power is transmitted from the prime mover 1G to the pulley 13, is controlled by a rock shaft 48 extending the length of the apparatusand thence connected by a crank 49 and link 50 to a control lever 51. i

A bracket 52 acting on a brake drum 53 on the high speed shaft 20 may be operated through a lever 5e and a link 55 from a brake control handle 56. The throttle 5'? of the prime mover may be operated through a link 58 from an operating handle 59 mounted on the support for the drum 27 adjacent the handle 56. A. brake on the hoist drum 2'? may be operated by a handle 60. The reversing and clutching of the prime mover may be actuated from a foot pedal 61.

All of these various control elements are preferably located near the hoist drum 27 and also near the well which is directly beneath the end of the hanger 38 so that the operator may be in a position to watch the hoisting and lowering of various parts from and into the well.

What I claim is- 1. Well pumping apparatus comprises a prime mover, a reciprocating pumping element, a hoist drum, a transmission mechanism between said prime mover and said drum and said pumping element, said transmission mechanism comprising a shaft in driving connection with the pumping element, a power receiving and transmitting pulley having a sprocket for connection to said hoist drum and rotatably mounted on said shaft,

and means for ri idly securing said pulley to said shaft.

2. Well pumping apparatus which comprises a prime mover, a reciprocating pumping element,

a hoist drum, 2, transmission mechanism between said prime mover and said drum and said pumping element, said transmission mechanism comprising ,a shaft in driving connection to the pumping element, a power receiving and transmitting pulley having a sprocket for connection to saidhoist drum and rotatably mounted on said shaft, and a securing member slidably keyed to said shaft,'and means to bolt said securing member to said pulley.

3. Well pumping apparatus which comprises a prime mover, a reciprocating pumping element,

a hoist drum, a transmission mechanism between said prime mover and said dlllIIl and said pumping element, said transmission mechanism comprising a shaft in driving connection to the pumping element, a power receiving and transmitting pulley having a sprocket for connection to said hoist drum and rotatably mounted on said shaft, a securing member slidably keyed to said shaft, means to bolt said securing member to said pulley, and means to slide said securing member from contact with said pulley.

4. Well pumping apparatus which comprises a prime mover, a reciprocating pumping element, a hoist drum, a transmission mechanism between said prime mover and said drum and said pumping element, said transmission mechanism comprising a shaft in driving connection to the pumping element, a power receiving and trans mitting pulley having a sprocket for connection to said hoist drum and rotatably mounted on said shaft, a securing member slidably keyed to said shaft, means to boltsaid securing member to said pulley, a cap abutting the end of said shaft, and cap screws extending through said cap and threaded into said securing member to draw the latter axially from said pulley.

5. Well pumping apparatus which comprises a reciprocating pumping element, a hoist drum, a

power transmitting pulley, a. speed reduction ,power transmitting pulley, a speed reduction mechanism having a low speed shaft to drive said reciprocating pumping element and a high speed shaft, said power transmitting pulley being rotatably mounted on said high speed shaft,

anti-friction bearings between said shaft and said pulley, a sprocket rigidly connected to said pulley to drive said hoist drum, a member slidably keyed on said high speed shaft to be bolted to said pulley, means for sliding said connecting member from bolting position relative to said pulley to clear the latter, a brake on the high speed shaft of said transmission mechanism, and means to operate said brake from a position near said reciprocating pumping element.

7. Well pumping apparatus which comprises a reciprocating pumping element, a hoist drum, a power transmitting pulley, a speed reduction mechanism having a low sped shaft to drive said reciprocating pumping element and a high speed shaft, said power transmitting pulley being roasses is to clutch said hoist drum to said sprocket transmission mechanism.

8. Well pumping apparatus which comprises a prime mover, a reciprocating pumping element;

a hoist drum, transmission mechanism between said prime mover and said drum and pumping element, said transmission mechanism comprising a driving pulley, a clutch operable from a station near said pumping element to clutch said pulley to said prime mover and transmission pulley, a speed reduction mechanism having a high speed shaft on which said transmission pulley is rotatably mounted, a s rocket from said transmission pulley to said hoist drum, a clutch operable from a station adjacent said pumping element to clutch said sprocket mechanism to said drum, connecting means slidably keyed on the high speed shaft of said reduction mechanism, means for connecting said connecting means to said pulley, and means for transmitting power from the low speed shaft of said speed reduction mechanism to said reciprocating pumping mechanism.

AUGUST R. MAIER. 

